The bad blood between former House Speaker John Boehner and GOP presidential contender Ted Cruz spilled onto the campaign trail Thursday, after a student-run newspaper at Stanford reported that Boehner called Cruz "Lucifer in the flesh."

But he let his guard down in remarks to students at Stanford University. Asked about Cruz at the Wednesday evening event on the university's Palo Alto, Calif., campus, Boehner compared the Texas senator to the devil — and then went on:

"I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life,” Boehner said.

Cruz responded during a campaign stop in Indiana, saying Boehner had allowed his "inner Trump to come out."

"The truth is, I don’t know the man. If I have said 50 words to John Boehner, I’d be surprised,” Cruz told reporters.

The Texas senator said he reached out to Boehner during the government shutdown and offered to come by with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to see if they could resolve the standoff. According to Cruz, Boehner's response was: "I have no interest in talking to you. What possibly could be accomplished? .. No.”

There is evidence to back up Cruz's assertion the two men had very little interaction when they were in Congress together. "I've not talked to him since he's been elected" to the Senate in 2012, Boehner told the Enquirer in a January 2014 interview.

Still, the two men were often on opposing sides of bitter legislative battles — over defunding Obamacare, immigration, and other issues. Cruz spearheaded the unsuccessful 2013 effort to defund the health care reform law, a push that sparked a partial government shutdown that Boehner had sought to avoid.

Cruz also met regularly — and secretly — with House conservatives, plotting with them over how to torch some of Boehner's more moderate proposals. Cruz's role in undermining Boehner's leadership became a source of regular chatter around the Capitol, with some starting to call the freshman lawmaker "Speaker Cruz."

A spokesman for Boehner did not return messages Thursday seeking further comment on their rapport — or lack thereof. But Boehner told the Stanford students he would not support Cruz if he wins the GOP nomination.

Cruz, meanwhile, tried to turn Boehner's taunts to his advantage Thursday, saying Boehner's remarks "reveal everything that is wrong and corrupt with Washington."

"If you're happy with John Boehner as speaker of the House and you want a president like John Boehner, then Donald Trump's your man,” Cruz said of his GOP presidential rival and New York businessman.

Tell me again who will stand up to Washington? Trump, who's Boehner's "texting and golfing buddy," or Carly & me? https://t.co/qvYPSaTEV7

- As for front-runner Trump? The two are "texting buddies," Boehner said, adding that he considered Trump the presumptive nominee and would vote for him this fall.

Boehner even joked about his name, pronounced Bay-ner. “You can call me boner, beaner, jackass, happy to answer to almost anything."

Boehner represented the suburban Cincinnati 8th Congressional District from 1991 until 2015. He rose through the Republican ranks becoming House minority leader in 2007 and then House speaker after Republicans took the House in the 2010 elections.